The Midvale Ridge is a natural region in South Central England formed by a band of low-lying limestone hills that run from southwest to northeast, from Swindon to the Vale of Aylesbury. It has been designated as National Character Area 109 by Natural England, the UK Government's advisors on the natural environment.
The Midvale Ridge crosses the counties of Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. It is surrounded by the lowlands of the Oxfordshire clay vales and offers good views over the local countryside. The area is dominated by agriculture with a mixed arable/ pastoral farming landscape. Cereals are the most important arable crop.109 Midvale Ridge at www.naturalengland.org.uk. Accessed on 7 Oct 2013
The main settlements are the town of Swindon in the west, and the city of Oxford, in the centre. Otherwise the area is relatively sparsely populated with small nucleated villages along the crest of the ridge and along the springline. Soils comprise a mix of heavy rendzinas, stagnogleys and lighter sandy brown earths with small patches of sandy soils.
The area has a number of important geological sites and has yielded fossils of international importance, including the holotypes for several ammonite species and several species of prehistoric sponges known only from the Faringdon area.
Principal summits Hills within the NCA with more than 30 metres of prominence are listed below:https://www.hill-bagging.co.uk/
HillElevationProminenceGrid referenceMuswell Hill198 m (650 ft)126 mSP641153North Hill190.3 m (624 ft)39.1 mSP654141Quainton Hill185.8 m (610 ft)89.7 mSP750213Shotover Hill171 m (561 ft)107 mSP563062Bunshill165 m (541 ft)46 mSP784213Wytham Hill164.3 m (539 ft)94.9 mSP458082Pickett's Heath164 m (538 ft)86 mSP482029Lodge Hill164 m (538 ft)80 mSP731165Badbury Hill162.4 m (533 ft)72.1 mSU261947Hurst Hill159 m (522 ft)32 mSP476041Ashendon Hill157.6 m (517 ft)74 mSP703140Faringdon Hill153 m (502 ft)46 mSU297956Dorton Hill151 m (495 ft)57 mSP680127Blunsdon Hill148 m (486 ft)48 mSU144900Okus Hill148 m (486 ft)34 mSU149835Waddesdon Hill147 m (482 ft)53 mSP758153Beckley Hill141 m (463 ft)46 mSP562105Red Hill134 m (440 ft)31 mSP585073Hannington Hill127.3 m (418 ft)33.9 mSU172926Windmill Hill102.4 m (336 ft)37.8 mSU552984
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